Thoracic brace



G. RICHTER THORACIC. BRACE May 5, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet J.

Filed March 21, 1967 ll 5 l 9 GERHARD RICHTER INVENTOR.

y 1970 G. RICHTER 3,509,875

4 THORACIC BRACE Filed March 21, 1967 I 2 sheets sheet 2 GERHARD RICHTER INVENTOR.

I jams BY Kari Attomgy rm. Cl. A m 1/00 US. Cl. 128-78 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thoracic brace in the form of a substantially inextensi'ble, flexible and preferably porous belt, extending in width over 3 to 4 ribs of the human chest, whose two halves adjoin each other at an obstuse angle of about 160 to 165 along a transverse parting line which in use comes to rest against the sternum of a patient; the free ends of the belt are provided with preferably adjustable and resiliently connected fastening means to permit the belt to be closed under tension around the patients rib cage underneath the armpits to form a generally frustoconical, downwardly converging band.

My present invention relates to a thoracic brace to be used on patients suffering from fractured ribs and other injuries requiring partial immobilization of the torso in the region below the armpits.

In the case of an injured rib cage it is usually necessary to restrict the expansion of the chest in a manner enabling substantially normal breathing without strains or dislocations which would cause severe pain. Though the patient should not be allowed to draw a deep breath, he should be free to inhale and exhale in order to facilitate normal gas exchange in the lungs and to prevent the accumulation of secretions which otherwise might lead to bronchitis or even pneumonia.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which accomplishes these results, is of simple construction and does not have a tendency to work itself loose and slip down toward the hips during normal use.

I have found, pursuant to this invention, that the aforestated object may be realized by means of a belt adapted to be closed around the chest to form a generally frustoconical, downwardly diverging band uderneath a patients armpits, this frustoconical configuration being realized by dividing the belt into two halves adjoining each other at an obtuse angle, preferably between about 160 and 165", along a transverse parting line which in use comes to lie against the sternum of the patient. To facilitate transpiration, the belt should consist of a porous textile fabric of natural (e.g., cellulosic) or synthetic fibers of a substantially inelastic character; the limited elasticity necessary for normal breathing may be afforded by a resilient mounting of the fastening means on the free ends of the belt halves which serve to close the belt around the back of the wearer.

Advantageously, in order to provide a wide range of adjustability, the aforementioned fastening means may comprise several rows of female coupling members (eyelets) on one endand a corresponding number of male coupling members (hooks), one for each row, on the other end of the belt, the hooks being associated with individual pull straps by which they may be selectively aligned with a particular set of eyelets.

The above and other features of my invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an open thoracic brace according to the invention;

3,509,875 Patented May 5, 1970 ice FIG. 2 is a face view, drawn to a larger scale, of an gaigafy 1of female fasteners forming part of the brace of FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the array of associated male fasteners;

FIG. 4 is a detail view of an element in the array of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the brace of FIG. 1 in use on the body of a patient.

The brace shown in the drawing comprises a flexible and porous fabric belt, as described above, composed of two halves 1 and 2 joined together along a transverse parting line 3. In the embodiment illustrated, this parting line is covered by a strip of fabric, yet it will be apparent that the two belt halves may also be made integrally from a single strip of material folded at the center into a triangular gore and held in shape by stitching. When lying in a plane, the belt halves 1 and 2 include with each other an angle of -165 and terminate at their free ends in complementary male and female fasteners, respectively, illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. The female fasteners are represented by several (here three) rows of eyelets 4 which are anchored to the belt portion 1 by lateral strips 6. The complementary male fasteners are hooks 5 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which are integrally stamped from generally trapezoidal rigid plates 7 (e.g., of metal or plastic) having vertical slots 9 and 10 which extend on opposite sides of the hooks along the major and the minor base, respectively, of the trapezoid. Resilient links 8, such as tapes 8 of elastic fabric, are looped through the slots 9 and stitched onto the end of belt half 2, Flexible pull straps 12 are drawn through the slots 10 to which they are anchored by their enlarged extremities 11. These pull straps serve as convenient handles by which the hook carriers 7 can be brought into alignment with selected eyelets 4 to close the belt firmly about the body of a patient, as shown in FIG. 5, with just the right degree of tension applied by the elastic bands 8. It will be noted from FIG. 5 that the parting line 3 coincides with the position of the sternum of the patient and that the closed structure is of generally frustoconical, downwardly diverging configuration conforming to the shape of the torso below the armpits.

A brace of the type herein disclosed can be worn without significant discomfort even for a period of several weeks and, while fulfilling the therapeutic requirements set out above, will leave the patient free to work or to rest. If the patient is subject to coughing spells, or is about to engage in manual work, the belt should be tightened; in sitting or reclining positions, e.g., for reading, writing or sleeping, the tension may be relaxed.

For best results, the width of the belt 1, 2 should extend over three or four ribs.

I claim:

1. A thoracic brace comprising a porous belt of flexible and substantially inelastic textile material divided into two straight halves of substantially uniform width and structure adjoining each other at an obtuse angle along a transverse parting line, the free ends of said halves being provided with complementary fastening means for closing said belt under tension around the chest of a patient with each of said halves adapted for spanning substantially half the circumference of the patients torso whereby said belt forms a generally frustoconical, upwardly diverging :band underneath the patients armpits.

2. A brace as defined in claim 1 wherein said angle ranges between substantially 160 and 3. A brace as defined in claim 1 wherein said belt has a width extending over at least three and at most four ribs of the patient.

4. A brace as defined in claim 1 wherein said fastening means comprise a plurality of rows of eyelets on one of said ends and a plurality of hooks on the other of said ends positioned for engagement with the eyelets of respective rows.

5. A brace as defined in claim 4 wherein said fastening means further include a plurality of rigid elements formed integrally with said hooks, respectively, and individual resilient links connecting said elements with said other of said ends.

6. A brace as defined in claim 5 wherein said elements are provided with flexible pull straps extending beyond said hooks for facilitating manual alignment of the corresponding hooks with selected eyelets.

7. A brace as defined in claim 6 wherein said elements are generally trapezoidal plates with a first slot along the major base of the trapezoid engaged by the respective link and a second slot along the minor base of the trapezoid engaged by the respective pull strap, said hooks projecting from said plates between the first and second slots thereof.

References Cited STATES PATENTS Ferguson 2-317 Harkins 128-558 Frank 24--206 Graham 24-206 Roseman 24-203 Muller 128-155 Goldstein 128-78 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner J. D. YASKO, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 2-311; 24-206; 128-155, 558 

